They walked through Ellora blind, with no idea where they were going. He could see the air around him waver here and there, and small beasts poked their heads or passed through the veil, but they ran back to where they came from. A golden pendant landed at his feet, and Ian bent down to pick it up. The emerald green stone in the middle shined and swirled. It reminded him of her eyes. Her beautiful eyes. He fisted the pendant so tight that it cut through his hand. A knot lodged in his throat. He swallowed it, but it didn't move. Will I ever see you again? He inhaled and looked around to see where the pendant came from. The veil was thining faster in Ellora. Almost everywhere he looked, the air was wavering, like the surface of still water. Despite the heavy clouds covering the sky, it was bright, as if there were none. Ian looked up, and through the clouds, he saw four sun's in the sky. That can't be, right?
" How many sun's does Ellora have?" He asked the three vultures, but only Rhya turned to look at him.
" One sun!" Rhya curtly answered and threw her eyes up.
" Not long now, and the veil will collapse!" Rhya sullenly said and looked at him.
The armour clatter echoed in the air, and Ian looked around to see whether Dakran followed them through the portal. He was the only one he knew that was stupid enough to cross into Ellora.
He narrowed his eyes when not far from where they were out of thin air, knights in full armour appeared one at a time. Ian blinked a few times, thinking that his eyes were betraying him or, worse, he was seeing things that weren't there.
Ian turned to Azra " Do you see what I'm seeing?" Ian asked and halted his steps.
Azra looked up at him and nodded " Maybe they are here to help!" he shrugged and waved at the knights.
Dark red capes stood out the most. Their armour shined, and he quickly recognised the metal aalanite, like Iris's armour.
" Halt!" the man leading the Knight ordered, and they all stopped at once.
A man with a grey beard walked past them, head held up high, wearing the same armour as the knights. The mark that he and Iris shared etched on the breastplate.
The man stopped just a few paces away from them, and from behind him, a man with dark hair stepped forward " Good day to you!" he curtly bowed " By any chance, have you found a golden necklace ?" he asked, taking a few steps closer and looked at his hand.
Ian followed his line of sight and opened the palm of his hand " This?" he raised his hand and showed it to the man with dark hair.
The man nodded and stretched his hand for him to give him the necklace " Who are you?" he decided to find out more about these people.
The man in front of him narrowed his eyes, looked at him from head to toe, and looked at the man with the grey beard, who shook his head.
" We will take the necklace and be on our way!" the dark-haired man feigned a smile, his hand still stretched out.
Ian took a deep breath and looked at the knights standing behind the man with the grey beard and reluctantly dropped the necklace in the man's hand.
The man curtly nodded, turned, making his way to the grey-bearded man and slipped the necklace into his hand. The grey-bearded man waved to the knights.
" On my command!" The man leading the knights ordered, and they all turned at once and followed the grey-bearded man who stared at his hand. Ian watched them move. They were going in the same direction as he was. They didn't seem to want to share any details with them. Hell, they didn't even bother to look at them.
" Father!" Azra called with his eyes on the people that stood out in this place like a sore thumb " Maybe we should ask for help!" Azra suggested, his eyes still on the knights and the grey-bearded man leading the way.
Ian nodded " Keep an eye on them! You know what you have to do!" Ian patted Azra on the back and followed the knights and the grey-bearded man.
" Move!" he heard Azra bark at the three vultures, and pride swelled in his chest. He was his son, after all.
The hissing sound of swords being drawn rung in the air the moment he was a few paces away.
" Two on one!" the man leading the knights ordered, and two knights broke from the formation and turned to him in a synchronised movement.
Ian raised his hands in surrender " I just want to talk!" Ian calmly stated, and the knights charged for him.
Without a sword, he evaded their attack as best as he could, but the moment he slipped under one of the knight's arms. He felt a sharp pain at the back of his head, and everything went dark, and he collapsed on the ground with a thud.
" Bring him to me!" he heard a muffled voice speak.
The knights grabbed one arm each, dragging him across the ground, one boot slipped off his foot, and he hit the ground again. He still couldn't move, but he felt and heard bits and pieces.
" The boot!" one of the knights said in the same muffled voice.
He felt like being lifted off the ground again and getting dragged again.
" Let me know when he wakes up!" he heard another muffled voice speak.
" Yes, Your Grace!" someone said.
Your Grace? A king? King of who or what? Ellora? Fuck! Who are these people? He had so many questions and couldn't ask any. His head throbbed, and his limbs weren't listening to him.
" Your Grace!" one of the men called the King" Why are we bothering with him? Forgive me! But you saw it too! He is one of them!" he pointed out to the king.
One of them? One of who? Ian had even more questions. In all seven hells and seven heavens, what is happening? His head still throbbed, but he had regained some of his senses. He opened his eyes and looked up at the two knights that dragged his pitiful ass across the scorched land of Ellora.
' Who are you?" he slurred worse than a drunkard.
" Shut up, scum!" one of the knights barked at him, and he felt a sharp pain shoot through his ribs, and the air in his lungs stilled.
" That's enough, Isidril!" another man said
" Yes, Your Grace!" It was the king. What the fuck is going on?
They dragged his pitiful ass for the longest time. He had lost track. His senses mainly had returned to him when they dropped him on the ground, and he opened his eyes and raised his head. Azra and the three vultures walked in the distance. They followed them. Smart boy!
" There! She is there!" he recognised the King's voice and pushed himself off the ground grimacing at the sharp pain in his head. Ian touched the back of his head and hissed. They hit him hard enough to draw blood.
" You're awake! Walk scum!" one of the knights kicked him again in the leg this time, and he felt like his leg muscle tore when that rugged boot touched his leg.
" Fuck! Would you stop kicking me!" Ian screamed, his fists balled up and scowled.
" What did I say, Isidril?" the king asked.
"Forgive me, Your Grace!" the knight asked to be pardoned.
" I'm not a servant of the Gods, Isidril. There is only that much I can forgive!" the king muffled a chuckle. Bad at telling jokes, just as Iris was.
" You kicked him in the leg Isidril! He could have walked. Now you'll have to carry him!" the king said
" We are here! Gaerfyrddin is jus up ahead! We've wasted enough time as it is! Move!" the king ordered, and Isidril pulled him off the ground and chucked over his shoulder with such ease as if he weighed nothing.
" Can you feel it ?" Isidril asked one of the knights next to him.
" I do!" the knight agreed to whatever they were speaking off.